How to Tie Your Kids’ Sport Shoes for Better Support and Stability

August 1, 2026 Shoe Lacing Techniques Juan Valenzuela 0 - Comments

If your child plays a sport, there’s a specific lacing technique that helps prevent foot injuries and general foot and heel pain — and it takes less than a minute to learn. The more securely a shoe holds the foot, the more stable and confident your child feels on the field or court, which translates directly into better performance. As a certified children’s shoe fitter, here’s the exact technique I show families.

^{Notice the two extra eyelets near the top of most sport shoes? They’re not decorative — used correctly, they meaningfully boost stability and help prevent injury.}

Why This Matters

Sports and high-impact activities put extra stress on a child’s feet and legs with every step, jump, and sprint. A secure lacing technique keeps the foot locked in place inside the shoe, which is what actually lets a firm heel counter and supportive upper do their job — a well-built shoe laced loosely won’t deliver the support it’s designed for.

How to Tie Sport Shoes in 3 Simple Steps

^{Step 1: Thread the laces through the bottom eyelets evenly on both sides, then lace up as usual — crossing the laces through each pair of eyelets — until you reach the top two holes on each side. Leave those top two open for now.}

^{Step 2: Instead of crossing the laces through the top eyelets like the ones below them, thread each lace straight up through the top eyelet on its own side, creating a small loop on each side of the shoe.}

^{Step 3: Cross each lace over and feed it through the loop on the opposite side, then pull both ends snug before tying as usual. This locks the heel in place and adds real ankle support that standard lacing doesn’t provide.}

Getting the Right Shoelace Length

Laces that are the wrong length undercut this whole technique — too long raises tripping risk, too short makes tying difficult and more likely to come undone mid-game. A quick way to get it right: count the eyelets on your child’s shoe. I cover this in detail, including a sizing chart by eyelet count, in my dedicated guide to choosing the right shoelace length.

What Are Good Shoelaces for Kids?

Look for laces with some texture or shape that helps them grip and stay tied — round, slick laces tend to loosen throughout a game even with a good knot. My current pick: DELELE Oval Athletic Shoelaces, a durable half-round (oval) polyester lace whose flatter profile holds a knot noticeably better than a standard round lace, and which comes in dozens of colors and lengths so you can match your child’s shoes and get the eyelet count right.

Order on Amazon
1/4″ oval (half-round) profile, polyester construction
Sold in packs of 2 pairs (4 individual laces)
Available in 40+ colors and multiple lengths
Count your child’s eyelets to order the correct length
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links

If Your Child Wears Orthotics or Has a High Instep

This technique works well for most kids, but a few situations call for a modified approach:

If your child has a high instep, standard lacing (including this technique) can create uncomfortable pressure across the top of the foot — see my guide on lacing for high insteps to relieve mid-foot pressure.

If your child wears an SMO, AFO, or other orthotic, see my guide on how to tie shoes with orthotics to stop heel slippage.

What Are the Best Sport Shoes for Kids?

A good lacing technique works best paired with the right shoe to begin with — look for a firm heel counter, a flexible sole, and enough room in the toe box for growing feet. See my full guide to the best sport shoes for kids for personalized recommendations by sport.